


Unprepared

by impulsewriter



Series: Jim Becomes A Dad [2]
Category: DC Extended Universe, DCU (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Will and Roy meet Gwen, meet the family esque, someone says fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impulsewriter/pseuds/impulsewriter
Summary: As Jim sits in the hospital with his daughter, he realizes he's unprepared, and talks to his brothers.
Relationships: Harper Family - Relationship, Jim Harper & Gwen Harper, Jim Harper & Roy Harper & Clone Roy Harper | Will Harper
Series: Jim Becomes A Dad [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728910
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Unprepared

**Author's Note:**

> if you skipped the first part of the series bc of the warnings, short story even shorter: Jim finds his clone, Gwen, and adopts her. Gwen is canon in New Earth, I just chose her middle name because there was none? but yeah that's it. That's the first part broken down to its base essentials.
> 
> Also my headcanon is that Jim became a bartender after Mal became Guardian and he p much retired and moved to Star City to be closer with his brothers 8)

Gwen was in the hospital for two days. During those two days, Oliver came back a few times. It had surprised Jim, when Oliver came back, though Oliver had been thrilled to see Gwen was awake. At that time, Gwen had gotten used to Jim's presence, and that of Doctor Mina. Oliver just walking in had scared her, though, and she only accepted Oliver's apologies when Jim told her he was family.

The second time Oliver came in, it was with Dinah, and they had brought a gift for Gwen, in the form of a Raggedy Andy doll, that had been given to Oliver by his father. He also had a Raggedy Ann doll from his grandmother, that he had passed on to Lian, apparently, and Jim knew from Will that Oliver had planned on giving the matching Andy doll to his second grandkid, and Jim had no idea how to process the fact that Oliver had just quietly said he was accepting Jim and his daughter as more than just his sons' brother and niece.

Dinah had also brought a blanket for Gwen, and Gwen had curled up with both items, awe on her tiny face, when she was told they were _hers_ , to _keep_.

She seemed to understand the grasp of owning things, and the fact that she didn't seem to know she was allowed to own things before was something Jim hated.

Clark had come by with Lois, on the second day. They brought balloons, and Gwen looked at them with the curiosity of a kid who technically knew what they were, but hadn't actually seen them before.

What the hell was Cadmus _doing_ to those kids in that lab?

Jim also learned, in slight horror, that he was massively unprepared to take care of a child. He lived in a one bedroom apartment, and okay, he could handle that. He could change things around at home, turn his room into hers, and turn the living room into his, and it would _suck_ , and he'd likely never have people over again, but it was a start. He also needed a new job, because being a bartender working for $10 dollar an hour and earning tips was no longer going to cut it.

Especially when he looked up everything he'd need for a toddler. Granted, he kind of knew it was expensive before – he was there when Will got custody of Lian full time, and Roy complaining that toddlers were expensive to buy things for, because Roy liked to spoil their niece despite his 'bad boy' attitude that most people usually got – but actually looking at it all told him whatever savings he had originally planned to use for a down payment on a house was definitely going towards things he needed for Gwen (especially now that they knew he needed to potty train her, because of _course_ he did).

He was looking at anything he could possibly be qualified for, when he remembered what Will said to him and Roy back in August. He hesitated, before he pulled out his phone.

=0=0=0=Will

**Jim:** hey quick question

**Will:** what

**Jim:** remember in August when you suggested turning Bowhunter Security into a family thing? Is that job offer still open

**Will:** yeah but I'm kind of concerned on why you want it after two months when you seemed pretty okay with staying a bartender

**Jim:** oh god thank you

**Jim:** also how hard was it potty training a toddler

**Will:** wh

**Will:** what?

=0=0=0=

Jim flinched, but didn't respond to his brother immediately. He looked up at Gwen, seeing if she was still awake, or had fallen asleep again. She had fallen asleep, it turned out, and she was curled up in the hospital bed, hugging her blanket and Andy doll in an iron grip, the balloons tied to the railing on the other end of the bed. He hesitated, but took a photo of her.

=0=0=0=Harper Chat

**Jim:** [image]

**Roy is typing...**

**Will:** what the FUCK

**Roy:** who is she what is she where are you

**Jim:** ah... this is... my daughter?

**Will:** YOU'RE WHAT

**Roy:** YOU HAVE A WHAT

**Jim:** Clark brought up Match, and asked if we knew there were no other clones of Roy. I did some recon and, there weren't. There were, however, some of me. She was the only living one that Clark and I found in a lab in Canada

**Will:** where are you? Did you get papers for her already?

**Jim:** Royal Memorial, and yeah, I called Oliver when we brought her in 2 days ago. and he brought Tommy with him to get the papers done. Dr Mina signed everything

**Will:** omw

**Roy:** I'M DITCHING SCHOOL IDGAF

**Jim:** don't ditch school

**Roy:** too late I said my niece was in the hospital and they let me leave 8)

**Jim:** she literally is getting discharged tomorrow morning?

**Roy:** T O O L A T E J I M

=0=0=0=

Jim sighed, at his baby brother's antics, but accepted that Gwen was about to get smothered by her two uncles.

Roy got there first, since Royal Starling Academy was closer to the hospital than the Bowhunter office. The teenager had left his prosthetic arm at home, apparently, though he brought with him a tiny little stuffed cat. He set it on the bed next to Gwen, for when she woke up, and sat in a seat next to Jim.

“Why didn't you tell us you were looking into that stuff?” Roy asked, frowning, and Jim sighed.

“When Will gets here.” He said, and Roy rolled his eyes. Will walked in ten minutes later, and he let out a small noise, at seeing Gwen in person, before he sat on Jim's other side.

“Okay _now_ will you-” Roy started, and Jim groaned.

“I didn't want you two to worry about it, alright?” He said, and Will frowned.

“Worry about...?”

“The possibility of there being more clones.” Jim said, “And when I found the file about the lab in Canada? It just mentioned _clones of the clone_. It didn't say _which_ clone, and I'm glad I didn't say anything. I even considered lying about them, if it turned out there were survivors, and they were _yours_.”

“That's not your decision to make, Jim.” Will said, frowning.

“Yeah, well, it doesn't matter, because I didn't have to. They were mine. Clark was with me, he helped get her out, and...” Jim's expression turned pained. “It was... so messed up.” His brothers were quiet a moment, before Will was leaning against him, offering comfort.

“What happened?”

“Not now.” Jim whispered, “ _Please_ , just... not now.”

“Okay.” Will promised, “Not now.”

“What's her name?” Roy asked, and Jim hesitated.

“Gwendoline Willow Harper.” He said, and the two 'younger' Harpers were quiet a moment, and Jim glanced down at Will. “Will, you okay?”

“ _Yes_.” Will said, but his voice cracked, and Jim smiled, putting an arm around him.

“Has she woken up yet?” Roy asked.

“Yeah, several times. Oliver and Dinah stopped by yesterday, and brought the blanket and doll for her. Clark and Lois came earlier, and brought the balloons.” Jim said, “Not _once_ , has she made any kind of sound.” The two frowned.

“I'm guessing this is why you asked how hard it was to potty train Lian?” Will asked, and Jim nodded.

“She's not potty trained. She can feed herself, thankfully, but I... am way under prepared for this.” Jim admitted, and his brothers frowned.

“We'll help, Jim.” Will said, “You're dealing with a lot, and it's hard – I _know_ it is, because I went through the same thing when I found out about Lian, and then getting custody and- it's _hard_. We'll help you. She'll have a good life, and she'll know she's loved, and you guys will be fine.”

When Gwen woke up, she saw the stuffed cat, and she stared at it, before looking towards where she knew Jim was sitting – he hardly moved, since bringing her in – and she shrank away at seeing Will and Roy. Jim smiled.

“Gwen, these are my brothers, your uncles.” He said, “They're family. This is Uncle Will, and Uncle Roy.” When the two younger men smiled at her, she buried her face behind her doll and blanket with a shy smile.

Roy got up, and sat on the edge of the bed, and began whispering to her, and and Jim would _swear_ that Roy had some kind of meta gene unlocked that involved getting children to trust him, with how fast he got Gwen to trust him enough to touch her. She also pulled the stuffed cat that Roy had gotten her to her chest, with her doll and blanket.

Jim watched with a smile, as she listened to Roy. He was in way over his head, he was massively unprepared, and he was terrified out of his goddamn mind.

But he had his brothers there, willing to help him, and that's what mattered.

He would be fine, and so would Gwen, with his family there to support him.

**Author's Note:**

> comment? spare a comment? please? I thrive on external validation as much as my desire to spite any fucks that could be given


End file.
